


Between Two Points

by jsw



Category: Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 13:44:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19854406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsw/pseuds/jsw
Summary: Only 19 and already world-weary, the son of a politician Hwang Yunseong attends the party of a popular group of juniors at his university. After getting lost in a maze and challenged to a basketball game, he learns the name of the boy who'll bring colour back into his life.





	Between Two Points

**Author's Note:**

> _"The shortest distance_  
>  _Between two points_  
>  _Is the line_  
>  _From me to you"_  
>  \- The Glitch Mob
> 
> (This is completely un-beta'd and I'll have this edited when I can.)

"Yunseong, what are you doing?"

"Will you ever learn to knock?" I sigh as I look up at two of my closest friends barging through my front door. A smug-looking Dongyun enters my living room with Changwook in tow.

Dongyun just started his first year at university and within a week he's somehow obtained a copy of all the keys to the residences of our little group. After being friends with these kids for years apparently no one knows the concept of personal space anymore.

Dongyun shrugs in response. He walks over to the sofa across from the armchair I'm currently occupying and plops down. Changwook quietly walks over to the armchair next to me and seats himself on the arm and looks over all the homework and books strewn about on my coffee table.

I sigh again. "Well, if you must know I'm currently trying to figure out if a hypothetical collapse in the oil market would be due to an extreme case in-"

"Bo-RING!" Dongyun interjects as he fiddles with his phone. "I wasn't talking about that. I'm talking about the fact that you're still not dressed."

He puts his phone down and scrunches his nose at my outfit. "Don't tell me you're wearing that worn-out cherry shirt you've had for years to the party."

I glare at him over the shirt comment. I happen to really like this shirt. It's comfortable.

I start to look over my friends' attires and notice how they're both wearing much more stylish clothes than usual. Dongyun even has his hair styled in a comma the way it's popular these days and is that cologne wafting from Changwook?

I knit my eyebrows. "What party?"

Dongyun groans and Changwook finally speaks next to me. "Some kids in our grade, and yours actually, are throwing a party over at one of their houses. They're celebrating the new school year."

"Do we know these people?"

Dongyun groans again. "I cannot believe you've been here longer than me and you still have the social knowledge of an abandoned baby seal."

 _An abandoned baby seal?_ I was about to take offense to that when Changwook draws my attention back to him.

"They're a group of kids in different years who've been friends for a long time apparently," Changwook explains. "They're a pretty notorious bunch, you might have heard of them. Do you know Starship high?"

_Ah, the Starship kids._

I actually have heard of them. Starship high is pretty well-known for their monster of a football team and championship winning cheer squad.

I know there are two kids from that school in the same year as me and my only same-aged friend, Moonjun. I have two classes with one of them and Moonjun has one with both of them. They're pretty popular in our year among students and teachers alike for being well-mannered and kind. The kid I share classes with, Jungmo is his name I believe, is the heir of an electronics company and he lives alone in a condo in a building that his family owns near campus.

The kid from Starship high in Changwook's grade, Wonjin, ran for student body president in his freshman year... and won. He didn't keep the title though because the other contender threw too much of a fit over his experience as a leader. It was such a mess on the day they announced the results that the school board had to step-in. In the end, Wonjin decided to give way to avoid conflict. I heard he'll try again for president when he's a junior. I like him, the kid has ambition.

The three of them are always seen together despite being in seperate grades and they do have a lot of notoriety like Changwook says.

"I may have heard of them," I say nonchalantly.

Changwook nods. "Yeah, they're kind of like us. They grew up together and went to the same schools. Two more from their group of friends have gotten into our university. They're freshmen like Dongyun, Minseo and Chajun. One of them is hosting the party."

"Well, you guys have fun." I wave them off and start picking up my economics homework.

"You're coming with us."

I look up over my neatly drawn graphs and pie charts and raise an eyebrow at Dongyun.

Now it’s Dongyun’s turn to sigh. “C'mon Yunseong! You've been at university for a little over two years and no matter how many times I ask you never tell me anything about all the fun things you've done so far. And why is that?" Dongyun stands up and points to my papers. "It’s because you don't know how to have fun! Look at this mountain of political science and business homework. It's only the first week of the school year! How do you have so much homework?!"

"I'd like to graduate, thanks."

Dongyun sits back down and looks at me with pleading eyes. "And you will. Just let loose for a little bit, Yunseong. Don't waste your youth like this. You're just 19. Didn't you like to dance when we were younger? Let's go dancing at the party."

Changwook walks over and sits next to Dongyun. "He's right, you know. I've been here with you for over a year and I've never seen you do anything but schoolwork. I've tried to get you out of your house for the longest time to no success."

He looks at me with puppy-dog eyes and hands clasped together. "Please Yunseong? Please come to the party with us?"

I press on my temple with my forefinger. "My father-"

"Your father isn't gonna know. And even if he did he won't get upset over one party," Dongyun says.

"I just-... I have so much homework…”

“Pleaaaaase Yunseong. Pleaaaaaaaase.”

“Please come with us. We’re not leaving without you. We can stay for only 5 hours or even 3 hours, then you can come home and drown in your pie charts," Dongyun bargains.

I look at my younger friends trying their hardest to appeal to me with their comically pouted lips and kicked puppy expressions. I try my best to look away but this is a fight I was never gonna win.

“You guys are unbelievable. Ugh… fine… FINE,” I relent. I can't say no to my best friends. Especially since they don't look like they're gonna leave me alone no matter how many times I refuse.

"YES!" Dongyun pumps his fist in the air and looks at Changwook. "Tell Chajun reinforcements are not needed. He's coming with us."

I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Chajun, Moonjun and Minseo are kind of already in the van downstairs. Moonjun's driving."

I sigh and get up. "It looks like I didn't even have a choice at all."

Dongyun beams, "You bet your butt. Although, Minseo was looking forward to a possible kidnapping situation. Now hurry, get dressed."

I start walking towards my room when Dongyun grabs my arm and I look at his face. He looks a bit horrified as if he's recalling a bad memory.

"Actually you know what," Dongyun starts. "Let me pick out your clothes for you."

I roll my eyes at Changwook laughing stupidly on my couch.

** The Party **

We arrive at the address of the party. Moonjun had to park almost two blocks away because of the sheer amount of vehicles surrounding the area. It looks like it's gonna be packed.

We walk towards the open gates and we can already hear all the noise and music seeping through the brick fencing. When the house came into view my eyes bugged out of my skull. Actually, calling it a house would be an understatement. The place is HUGE. It's a tudor-style mansion with a circular driveway and a hulking fountain in the middle of it. There's a wide stone staircase that you have to climb to get to the front door. The place looks like it literally jumped out of the pages of a Living Fancy magazine. I'm no stranger to excess given my family situation but even this is making my jaw drop. And it seems like I may not be the only one.

"Woah, they're super rich," exclaims Minseo.

"Like SUPER rich," adds Moonjun.

"I heard his parents are both surgeons and they own a hospital or two," explains Dongyun.

"Can they adopt me?" asks Minseo.

"Alright guys," I put an end to their gawking. "Do we even know the name of the person who lives here?"

"Yeah, Minseo and I have a class with him," Chajun says. "His name is Kang Minhee."

"Well lads, let's go in and welcome the school year with a bang," Minseo says and Dongyun high-fives him.

 _Kang Minhee_ , I think as we climb the steps to the front door. _What a feminine name._

\----------

I was right. The place is packed to the walls. We're all sardines in a can. What's up with the Starship kids anyway? Why are there so many people coming to this party for them?

The interior of the mansion is more impressive than the outside. It looks like a mixture of modern and classic tudor decorating. I need to get their interior designer's card, this place is amazing.

"Changwook! Dongyun!"

All six of us turn our heads in the direction of the shout. The smiling face of a one Ham Wonjin greets us. With him is a shy-looking kid with a mop of curly brown hair.

"I'm glad you guys could make it," Wonjin says as he starts to walk towards us with the kid clinging on to his arm.

"Wouldn't miss it," Dongyun replies as he and Changwook each get a fistbump from Wonjin.

I didn't know these three were close. Changwook makes sense because they're in the same grade but Dongyun? Wow, Dongyun's gotten around more than I have in the first week of school.

"Thanks for inviting us," Changwook tells Wonjin. "By the way, these are our friends," he gestures to our gang and proceeds to introduce us one by one.

"Nice to meet you guys!" Wonjin exclaims. "I'm Wonjin and I have a physics class with Changwook. This little guy here-" he moves to the side to reveal his friend. "-is Song Hyungjun. He's a freshman like some of you. I hope you guys will help him out a bit. He's shy around new people."

Hyungjun tries to bury himself in Wonjin's arm. He raises his hand to give us a little wave and a muffled "nice to meet you" could be heard. _He's cute_ , I think. _Exactly like a little puppy._

Wonjin smiles fondly at his friend and turns back to us. "Anyway, the drinks are in the kitchen and there's a dj and dance floor set-up out back. The pool's open too."

I was about to ask the whereabouts of the house owner when the kid I have classes with, Jungmo, suddenly appears and starts talking to Wonjin.

"A beer keg in the billiards room exploded. It didn't damage anything but it's flooding the marble floor. I have Hyunbin taking care of it. For now, someone needs to order at least three more of those things. There's a lot more people than we anticipated coming tonight."

"I'll take care of it," Wonjin replies as he pulls out his phone and starts dialing. "In the meantime, introduce yourself to our guests here." Wonjin starts to walk away to talk on the phone and detaches himself from Hyungjun who immediately latches on to Jungmo.

Jungmo looks over at us, realizing they have an audience. "Oh! I'm sorry about that," he smiles warmly. "My name's Jungmo. I'm a junior in Business. Have you guys gotten a chance to look around yet?"

"Not yet, we just arrived," I reply. "This is such a beautiful house. Big, too."

"Yeah, our friend's parents are pretty adamant in making sure their kids have a lot of space to roam around. We've gotten lost here when we were young. Not to mention they have a huge maze out by the west wing."

"A maze? Woah, that's cool," Moonjun says. "Can we go check it out?"

"I wouldn't recommend it," Wonjin replies, quickly coming back from his phone call. "It's massive and you can easily get lost in there. Minhee's parents had to call the fire department once when his brother went in and didn't come out for over two hours."

I deflate. I was curious about the maze as well.

"Speaking of which, where IS our esteemed host?" Minseo asks.

Jungmo and Wonjin look at each other shrugging.

"He's moon-bathing," Hyungjun says matter-of-factly and no one questions it.

_Moon-bathing?_

** The Maze **

"So, if both of you are named Junho, how do you guys distinguish each other?" Wonjin asks Moonjun.

Us and the Starship kids have somehow gathered and managed to secure a spot by the poolhouse. It wasn't an easy feat because we've been here for over two hours and there's no signs of the party dying down any time soon. People seem to still be pouring in.

"I sit next to him in Political Science and people call him Moonjun," Hyunbin, the last of the Starship kids we met, with exception of Minhee who still hasn't shown up by the way, replies to Wonjin.

"Yeah, it's a nickname these guys came up with. A mix of our last name and the first syllable of our given name. I'm Moonjun and he's Chajun." Moonjun points at Chajun next to me and he raises his red solo cup in acknowledgement.

"Ooh, that's clever. I wish my friends gave me a clever nickname," Wonjin pouts.

"What do you mean?" asks Jungmo. "I call you Genie all the the time."

Wonjin groans. "I hate that nickname and you know it."

Our group laughs. So far, I'm finding out that the Starship kids are pretty cool. They have great personalities. I can see why they're popular.

Dongyun talks animatedly with Wonjin while Jungmo, Hyunbin and Moonjun have a conversation about the class they share. Minseo and Changwook even look like they're breaking the shell of shy Hyungjun who's laughing at something Minseo said.

I take a look at everyone over the rim of my cup and somehow feel a little sad. It's always been difficult for me to meet new people. I've never really needed more friends than the ones I have now. It seems like I'm the only one who doesn't connect with our new friends.

"I know that look," Chajun mumbles into his red solo cup.

I face him and knit my eyebrows. "Look? What look?"

"That look." He points his finger at me. "The look that says you're not enjoying yourself and would rather be home than socialize." 

"Ugh, I hate it when you do that to me."

"Talk to me." Chajun nods his head.

I face away from him and look back at our group. "I don't know. I'm just tired, I guess... of life in general. Dongyun pointed out earlier how I'm only 19 but I'm living the life of a 30-year old who does nothing but work. Which is true if I'm being honest. It's just... I'm so scared of disappointing my dad."

"He's not disappointed in you, you know. He never has been."

I scoff. "I can never tell with him. You know how he's never even home but he's left me with such high expectations."

If there was ever an award for the most intimidating and controlling dad, mine would win. My father's expecations are what's driving me to study 24/7 and it's what's instilled my perfectionist attitude. I can't even go to sleep properly if a picture frame is out of place in my apartment.

"I wish I could be like Dongyun," I sigh. "Look at him, he's the life of the party. He makes friends so easily."

"What's stopping you? You're a good person and people will immediately like you if you just have a conversation with them. Invite people from your classes out to lunch or something," Chajun suggests.

"You know that's not me. My mind is set to operate on the clock. I study, I eat, I go home and I sleep. Rinse, repeat."

"Is studying all you're here for then?"

I don't reply to him and just look at the beer in my cup.

"Listen, I'm not gonna tell you to study less or go against what your father wants but I agree with Dongyun about the fact that you need to get out more," he explains. "You can't just let every opportunity to make connections pass you by. Dongyun's been here a week and he knows pretty much everyone. He came to university with a plan and he knows what he's here for."

"I'm already a junior, what if I never find out what I'm here for?"

"You will."

\----------

Somehow, I've ended up in the maze. The maze that Wonjin told us not to go into because we'd easily get lost. That maze.

You may ask me how I got into this situation but all I can tell you is I wouldn't even know.

"What a great time to lose all your wits, Hwang Yunseong. You're inebriated and stumbling around seven foot hedges." I mumble to myself.

_This is it. This is how I die. They're gonna find my dead body in a month or two and they're gonna put my name in the next unsolved mysteries case file. I can see the headlines now, "Politician's son's corpse found in maze that he was explicitly told to stay away from during house party. We have concluded that he is a dumbass."_

I squeeze the bridge of my nose to try to keep myself lucid. The alcohol coursing through my veins is what's really making this difficult.

_Think, Yunseong. Retrace your steps. You need to get out of here._

I try to double-back to see if I can remember where I came from when I hear a noise coming from deeper in the maze.

Thump, thump, thump.

_Wait, what was that?_

Thump, thump, thump, whoosh, ka-chunk.

_There it is again!_

My instincts are telling me to stay away from strange noises but my sense of self-preservation was thrown out the window the moment I realized I'm not gonna get out of here without help.  _Let's just hope that whoever is making that noise is an actual person._

I try to follow the sound, running my hand on the inner wall, I walk deeper and deeper into the maze. Wonjin wasn't lying when he said that it's massive. I feel like I've been walking for over half an hour and I still haven't found the center. The noise keeps getting louder though so I know I'm headed in the right direction.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The night keeps getting deeper and the hedges start to look more taller. The panic started to set-in when finally, I reach a corner.

I heave a sigh of relief when bright light from the center of the maze start to illuminate my surroundings.

I forgot that the reason I came all the way here was because of a noise so when I turn the corner I got surprised to find... a boy.

In the middle of the maze is a concrete floor about as big as an olympic-sized pool. It's surrounded by lamp posts and three large oak trees.

The boy starts to dribble a basketball on the concrete.

_Oh, so that was what the noise is._

A make-shift hoop is nailed to one of the oak trees closest to the middle. The boy starts running around and dribbling. He shoots the basketball and it hits one of the branches close to the hoop and bounces off. He laughs to himself and shakes his head. The rich baritone of his laughter tickles my stomach.

From this far away I can barely make-out his face but I can tell that he's tall. Taller than me. And quite pale. A little skinny too.

I watch him play from the shadows for a good ten minutes like a creepy stalker until I realized that I have to find a way out of here.

I've pretty much sweated off a lot of the alcohol so if this boy's any dangerous I think I can fight him off. I take several steps forward and when I was about eight feet away the boy stops his dribbling and looks back. Straight at me.

His eyes widen for a bit, probably surprised to see someone actually be brave enough to go through the maze, before one corner of his mouth shoots up and he gives me the most dazzling lop-sided smile I've ever seen.

My breath catches. He has a dimple... and freckles.

_Pretty._

"You alone?" 

His deep voice snaps me out of my reverie. "I'm... what?" I reply dumbly.

He turns to me fully and asks again, "I'm asking if you came here alone."

"I-yeah... I got lost."

"And instead of going back you decided to go deeper into the maze?"

_Dumb Yunseong_ _._ "Yes."

He smiles at me again. "You made the right decision. No one knows this maze like I do. In fact, I'm probably the only one who knows how to get in and out of here."

"How do I know you aren't dangerous?" 

He shrugs. "I guess that's up to you to decide."

He bends down to pick up his basketball. "I mean you can go ahead and try to go back by yourself," he says as he points towards the way I came from. "Or you can take your chances with me. What's it going to be?"

I turn to the entrance back into the maze and consider my options. I don't know this kid but he also doesn't look dangerous. Could he be one of the party-goers?

I hear the thumping noise of the basketball again and look back at him. He's gone back to playing his one-man game.

"What's your name?" I ask, just in case I need to write down something in blood for evidence and not because I'm genuinely curious.

He doesn't stop dribbling his basketball when he replies. "Play a game with me and I'll tell you if you win."

"No, thanks."

He shrugs and shoots his basketball.

"So, are you gonna be leaving soon or?"

"Nope. Not yet. Why would I leave when I'm enjoying your company too much?" He looks over at me and winks. He goes back to his dribbling completely oblivious to the turmoil he's planted inside of me with that wink.

"I don't know how to play."

"It's easy. You just have to bounce the ball and shoot."

"I play soccer not basketball."

"You dribble the ball with your feet, I dribble with my hands. Same difference."

Same difference, he says.

"If I play one game with you will you leave with me?"

"Yeah, sure. You have to win to get my name though." He winks at me again.

"That's fine."  _It's not_ _._ "I don't need your name."  _I want it like my next breath._

I start stretching when he approaches me and gets close enough for me to smell his detergent. My heart races.

"Okay then. Game ends when one of us gets five points."

I look up into his laughing eyes. Game on.

\----------

"Wow... you suck." The boy says as he looks down at me.

"I told you before we started that I don't play!" I wheeze out while I try to keep myself steady with my hands on my knees.

"I know but like... you were really bad."

"Shut up!"

"How can you have so little stamina? I thought you said you played soccer."

"It's been a long time since I played soccer, alright?" It's been a long time since I did anything I enjoyed, period.

But I did enjoy our basketball game. It was exhilirating. I haven't done anything that energy-consuming in a long time. Even if I did suck royally. I blame him entirely though. He got too close too many times and made me lose focus. Why did basketball have to be such a contact sport? Why did he have to be so pretty?

"Wanna join me?" he asks out of the blue.

"In what? Something else that's gonna make me spend all my energy and probably embarrass myself with again? No, thanks."

He laughs a booming laugh and my heart squeezes.

"You're funny," he chuckles. "But no, silly. I mean lay here with me."

"Here? On the ground?" I point to the floor. "On the concrete?"

"Yes, on the concrete," he teases. "It's not gonna kill you."

I involuntary scrunch my nose, "But why?"

The boy shrugs and turns his head towards the sky. "It's a thing I do when the moon is full like it is tonight." He looks back at me and makes a sweeping gesture to the looming hedges surrounding us. "See, this maze was constructed to catch the full moon at its peak at the center of it. I come here every time to bask in the moonbeams."

"Moon-bathing," my mouth forms.

He smiles and it reaches his eyes. "Moon-bathing."

"You're Kang Minhee," I say. "You own this house." I point in the general direction of the mansion. "This is your party."

The tall kid with freckles, a penchant for moon-bathing and basketball at midnight looks at me and asks, "So, are you here for the party then?"

I stare at that lopsided smile and a thought comes to mind unbidden,  _"I'm here for you."_

-end of chapter 1-

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, Annie! :*


End file.
